Adored
by Scarecrow's Fear
Summary: There's a new member in the team – and she's taking a liking to Dr. Reid. But how will she react to Reid's 'old flame' showing up? And what happens when Reid discovers her missing? - Lots of Spencer Reid/*New girl* fluff. *COMPLETE*
1. Eleven to Seven

"_All men, even the most surly, are influenced by affection." _

-** Samuel Taylor Coleridge**

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Reid was tired. He'd just had one of his worst nights, ever. He was _so_ sleepy the night before that he set his alarm clock for 3:00am by mistake. He couldn't get back to sleep when it rung, so he'd been up all night. Coffee didn't seem to help him, and everything was crowded and busy at the BAU. At lunch he'd took a shot at the word puzzle in the morning paper, hoping to relax and ease his mind – but everything was so loud, that even _he_ could concentrate. So, it was back to strenuous work.

He currently had his head rested on the conference room table, listening as much as he could while Hotch, Morgan, Prentiss, J.J., and Rossi discussed their upcoming case.

There had been a number of female victims raped and murdered in New York, Wisconsin, and now south of California, and the team had been called out to the most recent crime scene to profile. Apparently the UnSub was taking young women from clubs to hotel rooms (where ever his resident at the time), raped them, and shot them in the head with a 33 caliber. (_Ugh,_ _another cliché case_, thought Reid.) However, all of the UnSub's victims had the initials "S.D." carved with an unknown object in their palms.

Much has he wanted to, Reid couldn't concentrate. The table was _very_ comfortable to a tired guy, and he kept drifting off. _Ah, well_, he thought to himself_. I'll catch up later_.

"_Reid…_" he heard a faint voice say. "_Reid…_"

_Shut UP…_

"REID!" yelled Morgan.

Reid jumped.

"W-what?" he said, blinking awake, and raising his head from the desk. Everyone was staring, and J.J. was laughing.

"You were asleep," said Morgan, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I kinda know that," said Reid.

"You meant to go to sleep during a conference…" said Prentiss, crossing her arms disapprovingly.

"Um… Maybe?"

J.J. rolled her eyes, and continued to brief them.

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"Reid, man, will you _please_ stop snoring?" begged Morgan.

Reid woke, and shook his head 'no', jokingly. He couldn't help but smile at his own jest. Morgan punched his arm playfully.

"Hey, everybody else on this plane is asleep. Why can't I?" said Reid.

"You can," Morgan replied, "just not when you are right next to me, and snoring."

"Well _excuse_ me." Reid rubbed his arm where Morgan had punched him – hard.

They were both silent for a moment. Reid hadn't thought it would take this long to get to C.A.

Morgan broke the silence. "Hey, did you hear Hotch telling that we're getting a new lil' sister in the gang, or where you sleeping then too?"

Reid chuckled sarcastically. "No. What do you mean?"

"Some chick named, Holly Wilkins, is joining the team."

"Hmm," mumbled Reid. "What about her?"

Hotch sat down opposite of them both.

"I though you were asleep," Reid said. Hotch shook his head.

"You were talking about _Dr_. Holly Wilkins?" Hotch said.

"Yeah."

"I've already talked to her over the phone. She's very – organized. She told me almost everything about herself; All the good things at least."

"Bragger?" Reid asked.

"Oh, no. No, she just wanted the job. She's from Champaign, Illinois. She was a Supervisory Special Agent there."

Reid glanced out the window.

"Funny thing is, she's a lot like you, Reid."

"How's that?" he said, still looking outside.

"She is apparently a _very_ intelligent autodidact - she's informed me that she has an IQ of 172," _Whoa… Less than mine though_, thought Reid. "- and has PhDs and BAs in almost everything you can think of."

Reid smirked. "That doesn't make her _a lot_ like me."

Hotch raise a finger in an "I-wasn't-finished" manner.

"She's skilled in gunmanship, and she's immune to tear gas, and chloroform," Hotch glanced at Reid, "and she's allergic to - Dilaudid."

Reid looked up at Hotch, clearing his throat, nervously, at the mention of the narcotic.

"So, what was she wearing?" asked Morgan sarcastically. "She's told you everything else."

"As I said," continued Hotch, "she just wanted the job."

"How old is she?" Reid asked.

"Twenty five."

"She's young for the job."

"You're one to talk," Morgan said, laughing. "So when do we get meet the soulmate of Spencer Reid?"

Reid laughed.

"As soon as we get back," said Hotch.

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**Ok, the first chapter isn't what I'd call **_**epic**_**. lol Better to come, although I'm not really going for epic; more, fluffy, hero type stuff. ;) I'm gonna use song lyrics for the chapter titles, and have a playlist at the end. **

**Subscribe to be updated! :D**


	2. All Day, All Night

It was a long and quiet flight home. Nothing of the UnSub had turned up, and according to his recent pattern, he had probably moved on to another state and another victim.

Reid was restless at the fact that they were going back without success. It didn't feel right. His mind was racing from one thought to the next, trying to keep his mind off of his assumed failure.

Then he remembered Holly Wilkins.

He had spoken to Garcia, and she had mentioned that Wilkins was there. She was apparently helping Garcia until the team returned. Garcia said she was nice, and reminded her of him. He had rolled his eyes at that. The way she and Hotch made it sound, Wilkins was Reid's twin sister. _I seriously doubt that_, he thought.

He didn't want to brag on himself, but it was just unbelievable that she would be _that_ much like him.

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There it was; that familiar blast of noise when he walked into the BAU. He hadn't been there but ten minutes before J.J. called.

Another rape, another murder, another state; same UnSub.

When they'd all gathered in the conference room J.J. began to explain.

"Ok. So, back to our ol' buddy S.D.," she said. Rossi sighed. "North Carolina," J.J. continued, in a robot-like, sick-and-tired-of-this kind of voice. "A girl was found in a hotel room – you guys know his trade – lady in the hotel lobby said nobody signed into that room, same as before. The victim's name -"

Just then the door opened. All eyes turned towards the girl that walked in; Holly Wilkins. _Well_, thought Reid. She's_ not what I expected_ - although he didn't know what he expected.

She was small. That wasn't really saying much as far as Reid went, because it was normal for him to be taller than most girls; even some men. But she _was_ a little shorter than Prentiss, J.J., and Garcia. She was wearing a short, green-plaid tank dress, with a tan cardigan under it; there was a pair of black, horn-rimmed reading glasses in the pocket. Her knee high socks and Mary Jane flats made her look like a schoolgirl, and her long, curly, chocolaty-brown hair was pushed back with a scarf as a headband. All in all she looked as though she'd danced her way out of a 70s' movie. _She _is_ cute though_, Reid admitted to himself.

She blinked nervously, her hazel-eyed gaze lingering on Reid.

"S-sorry I'm late," she said, clutching the book in her arms.

Hotch was the first to speak.

"Everyone, this is Dr. Holly Wilkins, the newest member of our team. Holly, these are Agents Emily Prentiss, Derik Morgan, David Rossi, Jennifer Jareau, and Dr. Spencer Reid."

Wilkins nodded and smiled at everyone, whispering a faint, "Nice to meet you."

She's sat down beside Reid laying her book, "_Criminal Minds_", on the table, and placing her tan 'messenger bag' on the floor. Reid just hoped it didn't get mixed up with his.

"As I was saying," continued J.J., "the victim's name is Marrissa Rankin."

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"You're not going to lunch?" Rossi asked, as everyone but Reid left the room. Wilkins glanced toward Reid and stopped in the doorway.

"No, I'm not hungry. I'm gonna work on his pattern…"

"Reid, you've been working at that for weeks. He's just a disgusting pervert with no method to his madness." Reid didn't answer. "Well, suit yourself." Rossi walked out, but Wilkins hesitated, and finally decided to stay behind as well.

"So," she said, wringing her hands and walking towards Reid who was busy scrutinizing his notes. "You, uh… You've been here a while?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Reid replied, absentmindedly.

"Well, I…" she wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. _Gosh, he's cute_, she thought. He seemed nice. Maybe misunderstood. Multiple times during the conference he had interrupted giving long descriptions of his theories. Everyone had stared at him, and she was surprised that no one told him to shut up. She knew how he felt. It happened to her every day.

Reid glanced up at the lost-puppy look on Wilkins' face, and realized he was being rude. He put down his notepad.

"You… You're pretty young for this job." Why had he said that? Wilkins looked taken aback, and replied in a defensive voice,

"Not much younger than you, Dr. Reid."

Reid cleared his throat and leaned his chin on his fist. "So, what made you want this job?"

"I just wanted a change."

"That's all?"  
"Well, it's just… I was – misunderstood – back in Illinois."

He motioned for her to sit beside him. "How do you mean?"

She sat down. "It's hard to have friends when you'd rather discuss Nanoscale science than fashion."

Reid laughed, knowing exactly how she felt. Maybe Hotch and Garcia _were_ right; maybe she _was_ more like him than he liked to think.

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**Yay! Now we've met her! Still no epic-ness. XD We're getting there, so just keep your "**_**I love Spencer Reid**_**" panties on. Heehee… I tried to point out that she's a little shorter than ordinary chicks, because let's face it: Tall guy + short girl = **_**cuuuuuuuuuute**_**! ^^ **

**lol at Holly's book, right? XD**

**Anyway, much as it can get cumbersome (oooo, big word…) to have my female main characters have the same features (like brown hair, and hazel eyes), I have a compulsion. If I don't make their features look like mine they are inferior. That doesn't apply to real life, mind you, I mean I don't think blondes, or redheads are inferior, just characters I create. :(**


	3. You Stopped and Stared

Reid placed his hand shyly on her lower back as he led her into the plane. _You're just helping her in_, he told himself.

Garcia was right; she was nice. They had exchanged small talk until Morgan informed them they had to leave for N.C. They had mostly talked physics, and psychology, but she had finally smiled when he began his explanation of a super-massive black hole, and a bit of her awkwardness seemed to disappear. Morgan hadn't had a chance to exchange sarcastic looks without her knowing, but Reid knew he would. As soon as Morgan and he were alone, Morgan would make Wilkins and Reid's relationship into more than it was.

Wilkins had gotten more comfortable since she and Reid had met. She had thought she'd never get used to being around _him_, and she still wasn't, entirely. But at least she wasn't stuttering anymore. Reid was a nice guy, and she felt as though they were the only two people on earth with their kind of intellects.

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Not much had been said to Wilkins since they took off. She didn't want to seem like a child clinging to her mother's skirt-tail, but there was still that tension between her and the rest of the team, so she decided to stick with Reid.

The N.C. authorities had released a sketch of the UnSub, based on the bits and pieces of info they had on the creep. He was a white male between twenty five and thirty. The hotels he had been checking into suggested that he was wealthy, and therefore may have been driving a luxury car. Other than that, there wasn't much to go on.

Wilkins hadn't expected to be doing _this_ so soon. Before they had left, Hotch had handed her a gun holster and a pistol, which she now had awkwardly strapped around the waist of her tank dress. She wasn't unnerved because of the _gun_; it was the fact that she might have to _use_ it. Sure, she _was_ an experienced gunman, but she'd never shot a _person_. What if she shot wrong and accidently killed whoever she shot at?

Prentiss looked up from her coffee at Wilkins. She was sitting in the window seat next to Reid, who was frowning intently into a book. She was looking out the window with an expression of worry, or nervousness on her face. Prentiss hadn't really spoken to her yet, and now was her chance.

"So, you ever been out to profile?"

Wilkins glanced at Prentiss, trying to decipher if she was talking to _her_ or not. "Not really. I've always stayed behind – helped from afar."

Prentiss took a sip of her coffee and smiled. "I didn't think so."

"W-why's that?"

"Oh, I'm not saying that to be offensive, it's just – you look nervous."

"Oh. Do I? I guess I am, a little. New surroundings _and_ a new position is a little too much for one day."

Prentiss glanced at Reid. He was still reading, his concentrating frown getting deeper because of the chatter.

"Prentiss, is it?"

Prentiss looked back a Wilkins who was pulling a sucker from her bag. "Yeah," she said. "Emily Prentiss."

Wilkins held the sucker out to Prentiss, silently asking if she wanted one. Prentiss shook her head 'no'. "How long have you been with the BAU?" asked Wilkins, unwrapping the sucker and pushing it to the side of her mouth.

Rossi walked up and answered, with a smile, "Not long enough."

Reid shut his book, sighing, and raising his eyebrows as if he were trying to get that frown off of his face.

"Rossi?" he said. "I give up."

"Give up on what?" Wilkins asked, shifting her sucker to the other side of her mouth, and twisting in her seat to face Reid.

"On this guy's pattern. He doesn't seem to have a motive either; he's either just thrill killing with benefits, or vice versa."

"I won't say I told you so," replied Rossi. He pointed at Wilkins suckers. "You mind?"

"Oh, sure." She handed one to him.

"But I did tell you so."

Reid chuckled.

"Well, he is getting a lot of attention," Morgan put in, as he and Hotch came over from a different seat.

J.J. looked up from her own seat across the isle. "Yeah, so he may be doing this for the attention."

Wilkins' eyes brightened as the friendly atmosphere seemed to comfort her. Gathering her courage to speak to them all, rather than just Reid, or Prentiss she said: "'Glory is like a circle in the water, which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, 'til, by broad spreading, it disperses to naught.'"  
Everyone looked at her with fascination. Rossi laughed. "Who said that?" he asked.

Reid stared at Wilkins in awe. "Shakespeare," he answered.

Wilkins smiled in sheer delight.

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**Soooooooooo. Holly is initiated into the gang! :D I promise I'll stop this in-plane/out-plane madness. I may even cut the whole 'in N.C.' business out. But you gotta do what you gotta do. Anywho, we're getting to the goodness. But before the epic failing we must kindle the flame. Can't write a romance with two kids that don't even like each other! So hang in there! Anything you wanna see up in here? Let me know!**

**Btw, I typed this up mucho rápida, so if there's any typos, LET, ME, KNOW!**


	4. We Can't Go On This Way

Three weeks in NC, and all they'd gotten was a name. Well, that _was_ something big, all things considered. But the team still wasn't happy about it.

His recent hotel had acquired his signature: Randall McHale. But Mr. McHale was an eighty year old man, that had reported his credit card stolen, so in the end, they really had nothing more than they had begun with. It would take weeks to run his signature, and they didn't have that much time.

The team didn't speak to one another during the flight home, and when they got back they all went silently home.

Wilkins tossed her bag on the floor of her apartment and flopped down on her bed, without bothering to undress.

She had become good friends with everyone in the team, but she figured that they all called her 'Wilkins' instead of Holly because they were afraid she would feel she wasn't being taken seriously. She knew she was younger than them all, but she wasn't afraid of not being taken seriously; and she wanted so much for _Spencer_ to call her Holly.

It didn't take long for her to drift off to sleep, but nightmares of the UnSub kept waking her.

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Everyone seemed happy in the BAU the next morning, although Reid couldn't understand why. Still, he couldn't help his own cheerful mood when Wilkins walked in.

He'd never really had a best friend, - at least not one that could stay sane around him – and he knew that three weeks hardly made Wilkins his _best friend_. But, he really liked her.

"Morning," he said with a smile, when she walked in. She grunted in reply.

She looked like she hadn't had much sleep. She hadn't bothered with her usual perfection in her outfit, and Reid's guess was that she was in a bad mood.

She dashed through Hotch's office to drop off some paperwork, and the headed to her desk. It was the first time she'd seen her desk, which Garcia had girlied up, but she didn't seem to notice.

"What happened to you?" He tried to stay cheerful to help her out of her bad mood.

"I just didn't sleep much."

Reid's smile slowly disappeared, his attempts to cheer her up seeming useless.

Just then Morgan walked in.

"Yo, Lollipop," he said to Wilkins, patting her on the head as he walked by. He'd given her the nickname because of her endless supply of suckers. Garcia had had something to say about that.

"Reid," Wilkins said after Morgan had gone into Hotch's office. "I'm sorry. I'm just… I've been having nightmares. It's nothing personal."

Reid smiled understandingly. "It's ok. What nightmares?"

"Don't take it the wrong way Spence–… Reid… but I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh. Well, uh, you don't _have_ to call me 'Reid', ya know."

Wilkins stared for a moment. "We are on duty, Dr. Reid. It wouldn't be proper otherwise."

He looked like he'd been struck.

Clearing his throat he replied, "Whatever you say, Dr. _Wilkins_."

She wanted to slap herself! Why would she go and blow _that_?

"It… It was just a thought," he continued.

"Reid… Spencer, whatever, I'm not saying that to contradict."

"Don't worry about it." He stood up and forced a hurt smile. "I understand."

She didn't have a chance to say more before he left to the break room, although it was still 7:00.

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Reid just stared into space. He'd been in the break room for the past half hour. _Why'd ya go do that, huh, you idiot? Everything was going just fine, and then you've gotta rush things. She's not ready to be close to you, you're just a business colleague of hers._

"Are you upset at me?"

Reid spun around so fast in his chair, he almost fell over.

Wilkins stood in the door way, hands folded innocently.

"Um, no! No, why would I be?"

"Because you've been in here forever, and you're just sitting there."

"I'm just – thinking."  
"About what?" She sat down.

"Things."

She laughed that little-girl laugh of hers. "What kind of things?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" she raised an annoyed eyebrow.

"…Things."

"Ugh, will you stop it?"

"I just… You… I mean, I'm…"

"You are completely _hopeless_," she said, giggling.

"My mind's all – I can't concentrate on work. I'm just trying to clear my head."

"_Right_. Well, if names are that important to you, I'll tell you what: You call me Holly _off duty_, and I'll call you Spencer _off duty_. 'Kay?"

He pushed his bangs behind his ear. "What makes you think that's what's on my mind?"

She winked and whispered, "Intuition. Woman's intuition." She paused. "I _do_ think it was a silly thing for you to go all ballistic about though."

"I didn't go ballistic."

"Um, hm. So that's why you hid away in the break room."

"I told you, I was just clearing my head."

Rossi and Prentiss were watching it all, unnoticed, from the door way.

"They're going in circles," Prentiss whispered to Rossi.

Rossi smiled. "They always will."

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**Ok! So, pointless chapter? Maybe. But two people **_**that**_** alike are **_**going**_** to have their disagreements, and that's what I was trying to point out: they're always going to be fighting. Ah, rough love.**

**Getting to the rooooooomance. By now I'd like to be to their first date, but I'm trying to take it slow and let them fall in love on their own accord.**

**Keep reading!**


	5. Dizzy in My Head

"I wanna do something for her," Reid said into his empty apartment.

The disagreement between Wilkins and himself had ended in laughter, and neither of them could decide how it had started to begin with.

Reid had woken up early that morning, and was calmly pouring his coffee; he didn't really know why he had said that.

"Ok, I'm losing my mind,"he said to himself.

_No you're not_, his conscience whispered. _You _like her_, like her._

"I do not," he said, literally shaking the thought out of his mind. "I like her as a friend."

_Why are you lying to yourself, Spencer? You've got a stupid little school-boy crush on her, admit it._

"I do not!" he yelled, slamming his coffee cup onto the table, in doing so accidently letting a little spill. He looked around as if someone were there to witness all this.

"Ah, who am I fooling?" he asked, sinking into a kitchen chair. He put his head in his hands. "Why would she like me, anyway? I mean she's… and I'm just a…" he looked into the dark liquid, "I'm just a nerd."

_That's never mattered to you before_, his conscience whispered again.

"Yeah, but I've never had this problem before."

_What about Lila Archer?_

"Well…" he wasn't sure how to answer himself on that one. "I haven't thought about her in forever."

_Technically it hasn't been forever._

"Whatever." He took a sip of his coffee. "Ugh, people would think I'm insane; talking to myself."

Getting up he placed his empty coffee cup in the sink, and went into the bathroom to get ready for work. He placed his hands on either side of the cold porcelain sink and stared at his still sleepy reflection in the mirror.

"You're something else, Spencer Reid," he told his reflection. "Twenty seven years old, and you don't even know how to romance a girl." Usually he would have talked to Gideon, but Gideon wasn't here. So, he made up his mind, then and there, he would consult Morgan on the subject.

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Reid rushed to get to work before Wilkins, just in case she ran into him while he was talking to Morgan. Luckily he did make it, but he figured he'd better hurry, because Wilkins was quite punctual when she could be.

"Morgan?" Reid asked sheepishly.

"Yeah?" Morgan replied, leaning against the wall, and crossing his arms. "What are you doing here so early?"

Reid decided to take that question as rhetorical. "If you… I mean if a guy wanted to get a girl – a certain girl – to like him… What would he need to do?"

Morgan flashed that famous smirk of his that Reid had been expecting. "And this guy would be – you?"

"N-not necessarily."

"You're a horrible liar, Reid."

"I said 'not necessarily', not 'no'."

"Well, it depends on how long _the guy's_ known the girl, I guess."

"W-what if it's been a few weeks?"

"Is this about Wilkins?"

Reid was taken aback, and answered quickly, "No!"

Morgan looked Reid up and down, doubtfully.

"Well, I mean… Maybe…"

"Well then, Casanova, you could give her some flowers, or a suggestive note, or some nude pictures of yourself…"

Reid was shocked, and became noticeably uncomfortable.

"I'm just kiddin'," said Morgan with a laugh.

"I mean it, Morgan. I'm serious."

"Well you've been doing fine in my opinion."  
"W-what? I haven't been doing anything."

"Yes you have, you've been talking to her. That's all it takes, really."  
Reid blew his hair out of his face. "But I wanna do something different."

Morgan sighed, and thought for a moment. "Well, there is that 26th Annual Ball coming up next week."

"B-ball? A ball… with dancing?"

"Yeah, slow dancing."

"I am _not_ going to a ball," Reid said, sternly.

"Oh, come on. Spencer Reid, expert on everything, has got to know a little something about slow dancing!"

"Well, yeah, I do. But dancing isn't the problem."

"Then what _is_ the problem?"

"Do you realize I graduated _before_ my first prom?"

"Yeah."  
"I've never been to a _prom_, how do you expect me to go to a formal _Ball_?"

"Look, you want the girl, right?"

"Right."

"And you can dance, _right_?"

"R-right."

"Then do it! It'll be fun! Besides, I'm taking Garcia, so you won't be _all alone_. In the mean time, give her some flowers. You think you can manage that, big boy?"

Reid looked around nervously. "I guess."

"Then good luck," said Morgan before walking off.

_I'll need it_, thought Reid.

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***sighs* Nothing better than a fairytale romance, right? This is just the tip of the thesaurus, my darlings, so keep reading! Love you all! **


	6. I Find Myself in Love With You

Wilkins thought it strange that the day before Reid had avoided her so much. He was at work before her, and he seemed jumpy. He left early, and when she asked why he replied simply that he had something to do.

She paused, looking both ways, and crossed the street to the BAU. It was a particularly cool and moist morning, but that wasn't unusual for this time in October. She pulled her coat's collar closer to warm her a little.

Upon entering the BAU she scanned for Reid, intending to ask him what was wrong. There was Morgan – Hotch was in his office – J.J. – and Rossi, but no Reid.

"J.J.?" Wilkins asked as she walked by.

J.J. looked up from the stack of files she was carrying, her strained expression melting into that of a relieved friend. "Yeah?"

"Is Reid here yet?"

"Um – I think I saw him talking to Morgan earlier."

"Oh," said Wilkins. "Thanks." She decided she'd talk to him later._ I'll probably have a ton of paperwork, like yesterday,_ she thought, as she reluctantly trudged to her desk.

Her eyes widened as her gaze immediately locked onto the little vase and single red rose in the middle of her tidy desk. She instinctively looked around, wondering if there was some mistake. _No one's ever given a rose to _me.

She sat down in her swivel chair, hesitant to reach for the card under the vase. If it _was_ for someone else, they certainly wouldn't want her to mess with it.

Slowly beginning to think it was for her she lightly touched the tips of her fingers to the soft petals, and eventually took the rose from it's vase, closing her eyes to smell it.

Finally she turned her attention to the little card beneath the vase. It read, _Bergeron's Flowers & Gifts_. Unfolding it, she recognized the even, neat writing.

_You said it was hard for you to make friends,_ she read in a whisper, _but you were wrong. – __**Spencer**_

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He tapped the tickets in his hand endlessly on the break room table. He was nervous; _too_ nervous.

_You didn't even have the nerve to give her the rose in person, how the hell to you expect to ask her to a Ball?_

Just then, Morgan walked in.

"So, you took my advice with the flower?"

Reid looked up, mumbling a faint, "Mmm hmm."

"And you got the tickets for the Ball?" Reid held them up, smiling in sarcastic happiness. "And you haven't asked her yet?"

"Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but do you think I'd be sitting here if I had?"

Morgan laughed at Reid's agitation. "Alright, Casanova, you don't have to go all technical on me."

"I seriously _can not_ do this," moaned Reid.

"Look," said Morgan, sitting down, "if you can give her the rose, you can ask her out. It's not that hard, just act normal – and will you stop tapping the table?" Reid put his hands in his lap to keep himself from continuing his nervous tapping. "Now get out there, and ask her, before I ask her myself."

"Maybe you should," sighed Reid. "At least you're sure of yourself."

Morgan pointed, demandingly, at the door.

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Wilkins looked up from her desk upon hearing Reid exit the break room, smiling, as always. He walked slowly towards her desk, still fiddling with the tickets, and dreading every moment of it.

"Reid," she said in a low, shy voice when he reached her desk, "it was very sweet of you… I mean… Thanks for the rose." There she went again, batting those eyelashes. At least that relaxed him a little. He held up his hands in a 'no problem' manner, and she looked back down at her papers, more so trying to stop her awkward starring rather than reading them.

"Um… Hol—…" He cleared his throat. "Wilkins, I was thinking maybe… I mean, would you?..." She looked back up at him, urging him to continue. "Well, see, there's this Ball…"

"The 26th Annual Costume Ball?" she asked.

Reid's jaw dropped slightly. Morgan hadn't said anything about it being a _costume_ Ball! Reid hadn't read the tickets either. But there was no turning back now.

"Y-yeah… And I was thinking maybe…" he held the tickets up, "maybe you'd like to go with me?"

She looked shocked, but her smile widened.

"I-I mean, only if you want to. It was just—"

"Reid, I'd love to," she interrupted.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

Reid burst into Hotch's office, where Morgan and he were talking.

"You did _not_ say _anything_ about this being a _costume_ Ball!" Reid yelled.

"I didn't?" replied Morgan, calmly.

"No!"  
"Oh."

"Oh?"

Hotch look back and forth between the two, and Reid could have sworn that a smile was twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Of course it's a costume Ball, Reid," said Morgan, still in that sarcastically calm voice. "It's Halloween."

"But – but I can't go to a costume Ball!"

"Why?"  
"What do you mean 'why'?"

"I mean, why?"

"B-because, I've still got a _little_ dignity!"

"Look, like I said, I'm going."

"As what, Satan? 'Cause that's what you are, _Derek_; the Devil. Look at what you've got me into!"

Morgan laughed. "As a matter of fact, no. Me and Garcia are going as vampires."

Reid got in Morgan's face. "Do I look like the type of guy that dresses up as something, or someone, and then goes to a place with hundreds of other people, and _dances_?"

"No. But that doesn't mean you can't. Besides, you know Wilkins. She'll probably go as something, like, Marie Curry."

"Morgan… I just do not want—"

"Trust me on this. It'll be fine. You'll see."

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"Wait… Dr. Spencer Reid, Boy Wonder, is taking _you_ to a _costume Ball_?" asked Garcia in disbelief.

"Yep," Wilkins replied, spinning around in Garcia's swivel chair.

"I didn't even know you two were, like, a _thing_."

"Well we're… we're not."

"He gives you a rose, _and_ asks you out in the same day, and you're not a _thing_?"

Wilkins shrugged.

"Well anyway, whatcha goin' as? I'm going as a _vampire maiden_."

"You're going?"  
"With Morgan."

"Oh. Well, I don't know. I was thinking maybe Queen Susan from the Narnia books."

"Well, you know what I suggest?"

"There's no telling…"  
"I suggest you go as Juliet."  
Wilkins laughed. "Oh, right. That'll really give him the right impression; 'Hey Reid, why don't we go as the most famous couple in history?'"

"But you _are_ going to do it?" Garcia crossed her arms, knowing Wilkins too well.

Wilkins paused. "I guess I could."

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

***screams!* Well, that was fun, wasn't it? :D *sigh* Dontcha just loooove awkwardly sheckshay Spency? **

**Yay for Halloween! What can I say? Seasons influence my writing…**

**Yup, **_**Bergeron's Flowers & Gifts**_** is a real florist in Springfield, VA.**

**Oh, by the way, I don't think I've ever clarified that this is set around season five(?). I really like Reid's extra long hair era… 3**

**I am obsessed with swivel chairs… O_o**


	7. All the World is Gone

Now would have been the time to open the car door, and hurl on the side of the road. At least, that's how Reid felt.

After half an hour pleading with Garcia, she had finally told him what Wilkins – Holly – was going as: Juliet. He was quite relieved at that, considering all he needed for his costume was some leather pant, boots, and a swordsman's shirt; not _too_ embarrassing.

All had gone well as far as the costume went, but he couldn't help but feel stupid. She had said it was alright to meet her there, and that she was still getting ready anyway, but he felt like an invalid riding with Morgan. _Walking_ there was out of the question, and so were cabs. Besides, Morgan had offered. _Ah well_, he thought, _it'll be over soon enough_.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"You're gorgeous, hon'!" shrieked Garcia, when Wilkins met her on the dance floor.

Wilkins looked Garcia's black and red vampire dress up and down. "So are you, Penny," she yelled over the music. Garcia had put red and black highlights in her hair just for the occasion. Wilkins really didn't see why she had chosen to do so, but then again, Garcia was an artist when it came to hair.

"Have you talked to _Romeo_ yet?"

"_Garcia_!" moaned Wilkins. "You told him? He must think I'm an idiot!"

"No he doesn't. He was actually quite relieved you didn't choose Queen Susan." She nodded over to where Reid sat, nervously twisting his hands. He hadn't seen Wilkins yet.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

Garcia was talking to someone but Reid couldn't make out whom; she was in front of whoever it was. "Where do you suppose Wilkins is?" he asked Morgan.

Morgan swept his cape behind him and grabbed a glass of champagne off of the tray of the passing waiter. "I don't know. She'll be here soon enough. What, man, you afraid you'll be stood up?"

"No. I know she'll come."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's just – I'm nervous, that's all."

"I can tell. Keep on wringing your hands, and they'll fall off."

Reid crossed his arms. "All I'm saying is I've never done this before." He scanned the ballroom. That girl in the Catwoman costume looked familiar.

"Reid. There's a first time for everything. Nothing will go wrong, you'll see. She'll come in, you two will dance a little, you'll both come over here with me and Garcia to talk, and then we'll all leave."

"You make it sound simple."

"It is simple. If I can do it, anyone can."

Reid huffed. "Yeah, sure. Name _one thing_ you do that I can."

"Profile."

"_Besides_ that."

Morgan paused. "Look, just trust me."

"I trusted you when I got the tickets. Come to find out, you didn't tell me it was a costume Ball!"

Morgan smirked, triumphantly.

Everyone clapped and cheered as the Old English Haute dance ended. Reid was surprised they would play that; they had been playing modern songs.

The band began again, this time playing a waltz. Just then he saw Wilkins, sweeping across the Ball room floor in a forest-green medieval gown, and all the noise - all the music - seemed to hush.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

He wasn't sure how it had come about, but somehow they were waltzing. He was positive he was dancing horribly – the truth was, he couldn't dance well at all – but she didn't seem to care. She simply led him in the right direction. They always were a step behind everyone else, and he knew Morgan was staring, but it didn't matter to Reid. He didn't care what anyone thought of him.

The waltz seemed to last forever, but as opposed to everything that had gone through Reid's mind in the last few days, it couldn't have lasted long enough.

He led her into one last twirl as the waltz ended, and everyone clapped for the band. Wilkins couldn't help feeling as though they were clapping for Reid and her.

Reid stared awkwardly at her. She knew he couldn't decide what he should do.

A hundred thoughts raced through her mind as he leaned in towards her lips, when suddenly she noticed a woman in a _far_ too revealing Catwoman costume behind him.

"Spencer?" the woman said in a saucy voice, tapping Reid on his shoulder.

Reid rolled his eyes slightly. Wilkins was glad that she wasn't the only disappointed one.

He slowly turned around to face the woman, when suddenly she took his face in her hands and pressed a bruising kiss on his lips!

Wilkins heart sank to the floor, and her forced smile abruptly disappeared. He didn't seem to kiss back, and his eyes remained wide open, too shocked to push away.

Finally he did, shaking her off roughly.

For a moment he was speechless but he finally forced one astounded word:

"Lila?"

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

***cries***

**Everything was going so well! Why, I ask you, why?**

**I'll tell you why: Because I'm eeeevil… :D**

**Heads up for depressing chapter number 8! *Coming soon***

**Oh, by the way, I considered "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" by Toby Keith as the chapter theme, but that would have been FAR too strange considering Lila and Reid's little… predicament. lol **


	8. Tragedy's at Hand

Wilkins slowly turned, and walked up the staircase leading to the balcony. He didn't even notice her leave; he was too busy franticly talking with _Lila_. It seemed that everything faded, like it had while they danced, but the feeling she got from it now wasn't that light, happy feeling she'd had then. It was a cold, dead, disappointed feeling. He obviously was quite involved with this - _Lila_ -once. She wasn't surprised; she had her past flames too; Jonathan.

She had met Jonathan in college, and fell, hard, in love with him. They were engaged when the police arrested him for trafficking drugs. Her heart broke that day, and she swore never to love again. Now there was Spencer, and he was already – taken.

She leaned against the balcony, starring down on the moonlit city.

Maybe she was related to him – not a lover. _No_, she thought, _she wouldn't have kissed him that way_.

She kissed him.

She stole what was rightfully Wilkins'. It wasn't fair! After all these years she found someone that gave her a feeling rivaling the feeling she got from Jonathan, and now here was this blonde bimbo trying to take that away!

Wilkins turned around, sensing someone's presence.

It was Garcia, a look of concern on her face.

"You ok?" she asked, placing a hand on Wilkins shoulder.

Wilkins shook her off. "Who the hell is _she_?"

Garcia paused, shocked at Wilkins' turn of emotion. "Lila Archer. She's an actress. She and Reid met a few years ago when an UnSub was targeting her."

"And she's had _nothing_ to do with him since?"

"N-not that I know of… I-I mean, I don't know. Reid hasn't really _talked_ about her since then."

Wilkins put her head in her hands, letting out a quiet sob.

"Hey," said Garcia, patting Wilkins on the back, "it'll be ok."

"No, it won't! Everything's gone wrong! Tonight was supposed to be…" she paused as a tear ran down her cheek. "Tonight was _supposed_ to be… right."

Garcia looked back into the ballroom where the music and laughter continued, mercilessly. She thought she caught a glimpse of Reid and Lila dancing, and decided it best to get Wilkins out as quick as possible.

"Holly, why don't I take you home?"

Wilkins thought it over and finally, in a moment of spitefulness, agreed.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

Garcia had decided to go back to the Ball before Morgan missed her. Wilkins' lonely, dark apartment seemed to laugh at her. _All dressed up, and nowhere to go_.

She slowly trudged to her bedroom, and to her vanity mirror. Her makeup had run, and her face was red from crying. Her big brown curls fell messily from her up-do onto her forehead. She looked herself up and down, hating what she saw.

_Look at you, Holly. All dressed up like a princess from a fairytale. Who do you think you are, _Cinderella_? _

She angrily tore at the dress, tossing it into the back of her closet. She ripped down her curls, and hopped into her shower, not bothering to turn on any _cold_ water. She stood still, letting the scalding water wash off that princess she had seen in the mirror. She got out without using the soap, and absentmindedly left the water running. She dried quickly, pulling her red silk nightgown onto her still damp skin.

She strode back to the vanity, her soaked hair clinging to her neck and face.

Something changed in Wilkins that night. Something snapped.

She starred at herself, still red from the heat of the shower. A strange smile spread across her face.

He wanted bimbo? He'd get bimbo.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

**Mwahahaha! :D Sometimes I scare myself…**

**So anyway, about Jonathan. He's not part of this story (at least I don't **_**think**_** he will be), but the idea came **_**very much**_** from a certain, Jonathan Crane. lol Am I the only one that thinks Cillian Murphy as Crane looked **_**so**_** much like Reid during his glasses phase?**

**Anyway, yeah, semi-short chapter. Deal with it.**


	9. Yeah, I'm Gone

"_You've reached Dr. Wilkins! I'm apparently out fighting the forces of evil, so leave a message and I'll get back to you." _

Reid slammed his cell phone onto his desk in frustration. That was the twenty-second time he'd tried, counting the night of the Ball, and she still had her cell off!

She had phoned Hotch Sunday, the day after the Ball, asking for four days off. He had agreed, and she had apparently gone out of town, because when Garcia had gone over to check on her she wasn't home. Today she should have been to work, but if she was coming, she was _extremely_ late.

"I could kill myself," he mumbled, half to himself, and half to Morgan.

"She should be here anytime, man. Quit worrying."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she never came in to work again." Reid folded his arms on his desk, and hid his face in them in despair. "I can not _believe_ I just let her walk away, when she was my date!"

"Neither can I," mumbled Morgan.

"Oh, thanks," replied Reid in a sarcastic tone. "Your support is overwhelming."

"Look, I'm not taking up for you. Just because some long-lost girlfriend of yours shows up doesn't mean you have the right to ignore your date! Besides, I took it that you were over Lila."

Reid looked up. "I-I… I don't know. It's just, she's always sorta been… Ya know, that _first_ love."

"Reid, I don't even _remember_ my first love. Now look at it this way: If you get involved with her, when she's done filming here, she'll go right back to California. I suppose then you'll expect Holly to be waiting for you, open-armed?"

"Uh…"  
"Well, she won't. You can't use a woman like that. Now, you can't wait until Lila leaves to make that decision. You've got to decide now: Holly, or Lila."

Reid stared at his hands, unsure of how to answer. Just then the door to the BAU opened, and there was Wilkins.

"Oh, my, God," Morgan breathed.

Wilkins wasn't her usual self. Her hair was straightened revealing the almost scene-haircut she'd apparently always had. Her choice of blouse showed more than she ever dared show before. She wore a mini-skirt and stilettos, she'd replaced her messenger bag with a black purse, and she'd been _very_ generous with her makeup.

Reid slowly stood as she neared, intending to bring up the Ball.

She strode instead of her usual shy scurrying, and she wore an almost permanent smirk. All the way around, she seemed like a different girl.

"W-Wilkins?" Reid stuttered, but she strode right past him.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

Reid walked slowly back from the break room, hoping to avoid Wilkins.

"Spence," her heard her say. Even her voice sounded different. _And what happed to that formal-names-at-work rule?_ he thought.

Reid looked around. She was at his desk –in his chair – with her feet propped on the edge of the desk. "Yeah?" he croaked. Everyone else - Morgan, Prentiss, J.J., and Garcia – stared at her too.

"Well actually I was going to ask all of you: Tonight's Friday night, and I was thinking that if you guys didn't have any other plans that we could all go clubbing."

Reid's jaw dropped and all the others were speechless.

"W-what?" Morgan managed.

"There's this great club - Peabody's Night Club – on Virginia Beach. It's _so_ great. I went the other night. The DJs are great, the drinks are _fantastic_; it's just a _fun_ place!"

Garcia was the first to get over her shock. "I-isn't that place a good while away from here?"

Wilkins shrugged. "I don't know; Maybe a hundred and thirty-six miles away."

J.J. recovered next. "Well, I can't go. I'd be too far from home if anything happened to Henry."

Wilkins shot her a fake "too bad" look.

"I'm in," said Prentiss.

"Me too," added Morgan, cautiously.

"I'm game if he is," Garcia giggled.

_What is wrong with these people? Do they not understand that there's something wrong with her? _Reid thought, his jaw still out of place.

Wilkins looked at him, waiting for his reply.

"I… Clubs aren't really my thing." Morgan glared at him, warning him not to say no. "B-but, I guess I could."

"Perfect!" she said, her happiness dripping with sarcasm.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"Wilkins,"

"Holly," she corrected.

Reid paused. "Holly, I wanted to talk to you about the night of the Ball."  
"What about it?" She took a sip of coffee. Reid had noticed she didn't use _any_ sugar in it; unlike her.

"About… about Lila. I shouldn't have just… ignored you for the rest of the night."  
Wilkins laughed; a genuine, really amused laugh. "Spence, if that bothered me I wouldn't be in the BAU right now!"

"B-but. You're different. I-I mean, you left the day after-"

"Babe, everyone needs a break now and then. If you must know, I went out to Virginia Beach on a little vacation. What, you think I was _running_ from you?" She stifled another laugh. "No, no, no. You've got me all _wrong_, Pretty Boy. And I'm different? A change of wardrobe hardly changes a person."

"T-then, it didn't bother you?" Reid was unsure whether she was lying or not.

"'Course not, hon!" She ruffled up his hair, and headed for the door. "Hey, I'll prove it. Why don't you bring Lisa – I mean Lila – with you tonight?"

Reid stared at her, trying to decide what to say. "Yeah, ok," he finally managed. "I will."

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

**Sooo, Holly's gone off her rocker! :D Yay! lol Not really. It's all just a big show to prove to herself she can be a Lady Marmalade too. :] **

**I think we're winding this story down folks! :[ It's gonna be sad when it's over. I'll be bored! D: I'd estimate there's… maybe five chapters left?**

**Oh by the way, Peabody's is a real night club in Virginia Beach… Yay for authenticity! :D**


	10. SOS She's in Disguise

"What? I can't hear you!" yelled Morgan, over the blasting music of the club.

"I said, I wonder where Reid and Lila are!" Garcia yelled back.

"I don't know. I don't see Wilkins either."

"She called me and said she'd be a little late."

Morgan leaned in towards Garcia, implying he didn't hear her.

"I **said**!" she began again. "Wilkins called me and said she was going to be a late."

Morgan patted her on the shoulder, still only hearing the word "Wilkins", and walked off to join the crowd of dancers.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"So, where did you say we're going?" Lila asked, leaning in the doorway while Reid searched for his cell.

"Wilkins invited us to some club on Virginia beach," he answered absentmindedly.

Lila audibly chuckled at Reid's choice of attire for a _club_. "Wilkins; she's that girl you were with at the Ball, isn't she?" she asked, tossing her blonde hair behind herself.

"Yeah." Reid lifted the couch cushion. "Where?" he whispered to himself.

"She's cute."

Reid paused looking around. "I guess," he answered, grabbing his cell from the coffee table, and wondering how he'd missed it.

Reid pushed pass Lila, closing the door to his apartment behind them. "She must have been pretty upset that I busted up your date," Lila continued, almost sarcastically.

"No. Actually, no."

Reid abruptly stopped walking upon exiting the apartment building. It was raining, and he'd left his jacket up stairs. _Oh well_, he thought, _I'm not going back now_. "Taxi!" he called, nearly jumping into the street.

"Spencer, are you ok? You seem – uptight," asked Lila, as they got into the taxi.

"Peabody's Night Club, on Virginia Beach, please," he told the driver. He didn't answer Lila. The truth was, he was confused. He still couldn't comprehend Wilkins' actions. All the facts pointed to that she was upset, and was trying to prove herself on the same level as Lila. She couldn't possibly be doing all this for no reason. But if that was the case, that meant – _that means she _did_ care about me_, thought Reid.

He didn't feel that flustered, butterfly feeling he'd had before for Lila, but he wasn't sure how he felt for Wilkins – Holly – especially now. Before she had always lifted his spirits, and he actually felt comfortable around her. But now, he wasn't sure.

"Spencer," Lila said sternly.

"S-sorry, I was just - thinking."

Lila almost asked 'what about', but she was beginning to feel that Reid didn't feel for her anymore.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

Reid stayed planted at the bar, sipping on some OJ. The truth was, he didn't want to be here. It wasn't just the fact that it was a club, and he had absolutely no business there, but he dread to see Wilkins.

Lila had abandoned him almost as soon as they'd gotten there, to join Prentiss and Morgan on the dance floor. Garcia was sitting beside him, but she was too busy scrutinizing Morgan.

Suddenly she poked Reid. "Hey, Holly's here."

Reid didn't turn around at first, but Garcia just poked him and repeated what she'd said, thinking he didn't hear her the first time.

Reid reluctantly turned around. Wilkins still donned the stilettos she'd worn earlier that day, but she'd changed into skinny jeans and a tube-top. She looked over to Reid, waved, and began to walk that way. Reid forced a smile, although he feared that somehow – for some reason – _he_ had influenced this sudden change in Wilkins.

She chose the seat beside Garcia, which surprised Reid; she always sat beside him.

"Double vodka on the rocks, please!" she yelled to the bartender.

Reid smirked to himself. "I thought you didn't drink."

"Since when?" she shot back, grasping the glass the bartender handed her, and taking a large sip.

"You told _me_ you didn't," Garcia put in.

_Thank you, Garcia_, thought Reid.

Wilkins downed the rest of her drink quickly, holding back the gag that was scratching at the back of her throat. "I told you that last week." She pushed the empty glass toward the bartender and stood up, barely being able to resist holding her throbbing temple. If they asked, she'd say it was brain freeze from the ice.

She slowly walked into the crowd of dancers, disappearing from Reid's view. She leaned against the wall to steady herself. She was already getting dizzy. _I am _not_ going to let this stop me from showing that blonde bimbo a thing or two_, she promised herself. She looked around, spotting Lila at a table with two men she obviously couldn't know.

Reid glanced at his watch; 10:38. He couldn't leave until Lila wanted to, and by the look of those three shots, she'd be here a while longer. He just wanted to go home.

"Hey," Morgan said, as he came back to the bar, "check out you girl's moves." Reid turned around. Morgan was pointing toward Wilkins, who danced seductively to some dumb song that kept repeating "p-p-p-poker face". She was with some guy she didn't know. She almost blended in with the crowd, but she still had that innocent glow around her eyes, no matter how much makeup or vodka she used to hide it.

She didn't know who this guy was. He'd said his name was Samuel Darwin. She wasn't sure what she was doing, either. She'd never danced like this before; when she was at this club the last time she'd stayed at the bar, trying to get used to the surroundings.

"Holly, why don't you, uh… You wanna see my place?" asked Samuel, running his fingers through his blonde hair.

Maybe it was the drink that was truly her first that made her agree, or maybe it was that misplaced sense of spite. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded her of someone for some reason, or maybe she really just wanted to.

He had a nice car, but he didn't seem to mind when that double vodka ended up on his backseat; he didn't even flinch.

Reid hadn't even seen her leave; nobody did. They were to busy trying to calm a hammered Lila.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

**Dun-dun-dun! :O I wonder where I've heard **_**S**_**amuel **_**D**_**arwin – **_**S.D.**_** – before…**


	11. I Only Have Myself to Blame

It wasn't long before Samuel pulled up to an apartment building. Still he said nothing, but helped her out of the car. At the time, Wilkins though nothing of the fact that he was leading her to the back of the apartment building.

"I-is this where you live?" managed Wilkins, in a slurred voice.

Samuel didn't answer; he just tightened his grip on her wrist. Splashing through the after-rain puddles in the ally, they entered the building through a back door.

Wilkins tried to pull her wrist away from Samuel, intending to rub her chilly arms - she had left her coat in her car, and her car was back at the club – but he wouldn't let go.

_I wonder what Spencer thinks of me now_, she mused. The sly smile she donned suddenly disappeared as she remembered Lila staggering about and laughing manically. He probably didn't even notice she was gone.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"Spencer! Spencer, l-let's dance!" stuttered Lila, leaning all over Reid.

"Li-la," moaned Reid, pushing her down into her seat for the tenth time.

Garcia stifled a giggle. "Reid," Morgan said, "maybe you should take Lila home."

"I'm planning on it," replied Reid, beginning to lose his temper over a ridiculous Lila, and Morgan treating him like he was a child. "I'm waiting until Wilkins comes back over here."

"Why?" Prentiss asked.

"I have to tell her something," he mumbled, wishing he could just tell them all to mind their own business.

He intended to beg Wilkins to stop acting the way she was. If it came to it, he'd tell her how he felt about her. Of course, he'd try to _avoid_ telling her that. _It's not that I'm afraid, it just that a club isn't exactly the most romantic place on Earth_, he tried to convince himself.

"I wonder where she is, anyway," said Garcia, partly to herself. "I don't see her anywhere."

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"W-why'd we come here t-though the back way?" Wilkins asked.

He didn't answer; he took out a cardkey from his pants' pocket, and opened the door to his apartment. Finally he let go of her wrist, pushing her into the room. The only light on was a table lamp on the end-table beside the couch. He motioned for her to sit.

"Wait here," he mumbled in a low voice, and went into another room that she assumed was a bedroom.

Wilkins slowly eased herself onto the couch, leaning her aching head back into the cushions. That helped a lot. After a few minutes her headache eased up, and her thoughts became clearer; but then it dawned on her why she was here.

_Oh no. No, no, no_, she thought. _I'm not going through with _this_. _She stood up, the headache rushing back. _I must have been nuts to even – _THINK_ – of even doing it!_

She slowly began to move towards the door. _Ah, to heck with Samuel. I'm sure it's not the first time he's been walked out on._

She paused, at the door, her head getting dizzy. Suddenly, something cold and sharp was pressed against her throat! Wilkins gasped, and shook from the startle.

"Tisk, tisk," Samuel breathed into her ear, in a mocking tone. "You're just gonna leave me, without even telling me?" With the hand that wasn't holding the knife he swept her hair behind her, talking a moment to smell it.

Jerking back, hard, on her, he backed her away from the door. Wilkins just whimpered in fear. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't.

Still walking behind her with the knife pressed on her throat, he led her to the door of the bedroom door.

"Open it," he hissed.

With a shaking hand Wilkins pushed the door open. The sight that met her eyes sent fear pulsing through her body. The entire floor around the bed, except a small walkway to it, was covered with lighted dinner candles. On the bed lay a blood-red silk night gown.

"I usually don't go through all this trouble," he whispered, "but ya see, this town is special. This is where I was raised. Besides, you're such a pretty, innocent girl. You deserve more than the rest of them."

Wilkins mind raced with all the facts of their latest, transit case.

_Sharp object. Girls from clubs. Rape. Murdered. _And then she remembered the sketch. _Oh, God, how could I have been so _stupid_?_

Her fear was beginning to drive an adrenaline in her. She was _not_ going to let this happen.

She clenched her eyes closed, and stomped as hard as she could on his foot with her stiletto. He let out a yelp of pain, loosening his grip on the knife. She thrust his arm away from her throat, causing him to stumble backwards. He stopped himself, wary of the candles he had lit.

Gaining back his balance, he turned his attention back to her. "You little-," he began, lunging towards her with the knife.

Taking advantage of what every girl knows, she kicked, hard, where it hurts. Wilkins was really beginning to like those stilettos.

Groaning in pain, Samuel Darwin stumbled backwards, dropping the knife, and barely avoiding the candles.

Wilkins paused, and picking the knife up from the floor, she staggered out of the bedroom, still dizzy from her drink at the club. She made her way as quick as she could to the door, but her dizziness was beginning to take advantage of her. She leaned her body against the door to steady herself, but just as she reached for the doorknob Samuel Darwin appeared behind her!

He slammed his fist against her head, causing her to crumble to the floor. She looked up wearily at the silhouette of her captor.

She almost gave up, then and there, but then she realized she had his weapon. She had the upper hand.

He roared when the long butcher-knife blade sank into his thigh.

Wilkins scrambled on hands and knees towards the dark room closest to her. Quickly standing when she reached it, she slammed the door behind her, and locked it.

It was a bathroom. She didn't take the time to turn the lights on; she just scurried about in the darkness looking for a window to climb out of.

There wasn't one.

Her mind became petrified, and she began to zone out, realizing that she was truly living a nightmare. Trudging mindlessly back to the door she leaned against it, and slowly slid down it, finally resting on the tile floor.

"Jonathan," she whimpered. She closed her eyes, her head spinning, partly from the alcohol, and partly from her fear. "Oh, Jonathan."

She had loved him. She had loved him more than life itself.

"Please," she breathed, wishing that the figure outside the door was simply her enraged fiancée, and not the psychopath that she knew it was. Jonathan would have simply waited about fifteen minutes before pleading through the door that he was sorry for his latest argument with her. She would come out, and he'd wipe the tears from her eyes, and place a loving kiss on the tip of her nose, before driving her home.

She opened her eyes, her gaze locking onto the stream of pale light pouring under the door into the dark bathroom. A shadow moved into the light, and she heard Samuel Darwin begin to stagger towards her hiding place.

_No, not Jonathan_, she began to think. _Jonathan is gone. I loved him, so much, but he's gone._

She couldn't think straight. Her head throbbed so much that even the soothing thought of her ex hurt.

"Reid," she whispered aloud. "Spencer."

Samuel Darwin slammed his body against the door. His impact jarred her body, but she leaned harder against the door.

"Spencer," she said, louder.

Another impact. The lock was already rattling lose.

"Spencer, help me!" she cried.

"Come on out, honey," Samuel Darwin growled. "I know you're nervous, but I'll be gentle."

Another impact. The wall which held the lock was beginning to splinter.

Wilkins began to lose hope. Spencer wouldn't help her. He probably didn't even notice she was gone.

Another impact. The whole lock fell beside her, and skidded across the cold, tile floor before stopping at the far wall.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

**Woohoo! :D That just may be the longest chapter I've ever written. ;] I'm estimating about three more chapters in this story, and the next may be relatively short.**


	12. Strong on the Surface

"Reid, man, it's _really_ late. You've got to take Lila home," Morgan said sternly, nodding towards Lila who had passed out at a booth-table.

Reid stared at the floor for a moment, and finally – reluctantly – stood from his seat at the bar.

Prentiss had left some time back, and a relentlessly yawning Garcia only stuck around because she had rode there with Morgan, and he insisted on helping Reid get Lila home safely. Reid slithered through the much thinner crowd than before to begin his search for Wilkins. After circling around the club twice with no luck, he began to get worried. What if she'd gone off with that man she was with?

_No, Holly would never do that_, he told himself.

_Oh yeah?_ his conscience shot back, _well Holly would have never worn stilettos either._

Reid paused in the middle of the dance floor, to think.

The last time he'd seen her, she was dancing with this ominous looking guy, maybe in his thirties or late twenties. He had blonde hair, but Reid hadn't really noticed anything special about him. After that, attention had turned to Lila who had drunk to the point of becoming a pest.

Now Wilkins was gone, and so was the man.

"Morgan!" Reid called over the music.

Morgan turned to Reid, a look of concern marking his face as he did. He knew by the way Reid looked that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Morgan asked as he approached Reid, Garcia following.

"I think Wilkins went somewhere with that man she was with earlier."

Garcia let out quiet, "Oh my God."

Morgan studied Reid's face; he was afraid. Often Morgan had seen a look of fear in Reid's eyes, but this was different. It was almost as if he was terrified. Not for himself, but for something that meant a lot more to him than himself.

"Now, Reid, you may be jumping to conclusions," Morgan warned.

"No. No, Morgan, I'm not," Reid growled. Morgan had never seen him this way. "She is not here, and _he_ was the last person she was with."

Morgan looked into Reid's eyes sternly, wordlessly warning, "Are you sure?" Reid nodded visibly.

Sweeping past Reid, Morgan strode towards the bartender, Sara, that he'd become acquainted with from their lengthy stay at the bar. "Hey, Sara."

"Yeah?" Sara drawled.

"Do you remember seeing a girl with us? She was brunette – straight hair – in jeans and a tube-top?"

Sara looked up in thought. "Um, yeah. I remember her. Double vodka on the rocks."

"That's her," Reid assured, pushing past Morgan. "When do you remember seeing her last?"

"Last I saw she was leavin' with Sam Darwin."

Reid cursed under his breath, wandering, hopelessly, from the bar.

"Sam Darwin?" Garcia inquired.

"Well, Samuel." Sara corrected, tossing her red curls. "He's been here the last two nights. Tried to get me to leave with him about seven times."

"Do you know where he is?" Morgan asked anxiously.

"Well, he wrote his hotel address on a napkin last night. I might still have it. Why?"

"We're FBI!" Reid nearly screamed, banging the bar.

Sara paused for a moment – half impressed, and half offended – before thrusting her hands into her jeans' pockets. After a fatal wait, she produced a crumpled napkin.

"Here it is," she began, but Reid had already snatched it from her and was headed for the door, Morgan on his heels.

Garcia jogged to the door just in time to see Reid and Morgan reach Morgan's car. Reid yelled, "Garcia! Call Hotch and have him meet us at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel on 3001 Atlantic Avenue in number 239! Tell him to bring SWAT, and paramedics, and firemen and…"

Reid's voice faded out as he and Morgan sped away.

Garcia's worry worsened when she realized she was left to tend to Lila.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

**It's not short! It's fun-sized... Heehee.**

**Oh. By the way, for the longest time I've wanted to add some comic relief. This story was getting too serious…**


	13. The Fear of Becoming

Reid's fear had worsened to the tenth power when he realized who that ominous looking man that Wilkins was with must have been: S.D. - Their UnSub. He was only glad Garcia didn't know yet; she would take the news _almost_ as bad as he was.

Reid raced past the lady at the desk, and stumbled up the apartment's staircase taking three steps at a time. He could faintly hear the sirens of the rest of the team, and Morgan yelling to the lady at the desk, "FBI!" But Reid's mind couldn't comprehend anything. He was in a whirlwind focused entirely on Holly's fate. If only he'd brushed Lila off when he had the chance, Wilkins wouldn't have gotten so jealous, and none of this would have happened.

As Reid rushed down the hallway of doors, gun held cautiously outward, he let his eyes scan over the room numbers for split seconds.

"_235, 236, 237, 238_… _239_."

Usually he would have called out to Morgan before attempting to enter the room, but if that man _was_ their UnSub, and Wilkins _was_ with him – which he was certain he was correct on both questions – there was no time to wait. Besides, Morgan would be there soon enough. Reid roughly jerked the door handle up and down, but of course, it was a card lock, and locked automatically when the door closed. Morgan and Hotch ran up behind Reid, just as Reid fired a few mindless shots at the lock.

"Reid!" cried Morgan. "I've got the key!" Morgan quickly unlocked the door, and Reid rushed inside. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the room. Everything was demolished, as it would be in a furious struggle.

"Oh my God," said Morgan in shock, noticing in the carpet of the doorway a stain of blood.

Reid's heart began to sink, as it only had the day he had sent his mother away, so many years ago. He carefully stepped over the broken lamp, and following the trail of blood drops slinked across the wall to the nearest room, as Hotch and Morgan began the search of the rest of the apartment. He quickly stepped into the door way, trusting his gun in. It was a bathroom. The door was splintered, the lock broken off, and in the shadows, to the far wall, were the trail of blood ended, lay Samuel Darwin; blood splattering the wall from his head being smashed into the tile wall.

He was dead.

"Reid!" called Hotch. "We found her!"

He knew he shouldn't, but Reid let one hateful bullet disfigure Samuel Darwin's forehead before rushing out to Wilkins.

Reid fell to his knees beside her. She had a knife in her gut, and she was unconscious, but she was alive, and through the pain he had seeing her in this state, a wave of relief washed over him. He didn't care whether Hotch and Morgan were there or not; he let out the sob that had been threatening him since the moment he noticed her missing, as a solitary tear ran down his cheek.

She had tried to reach the door but had collapsed beside the couch, out of sight of the three when they had entered.

"Reid, don't," said Hotch, softly, grasping Reid's arm as he reached for the handle of the knife. "The paramedics are outside, they'll do it."

"I just don't like seeing her this way," said Reid, voice breaking. He reached up and wiped away the forming tears that threatened to show themselves.

Reid moved his gaze away from her injury and up to her face. She was pale, despite her jealous make-up. Her eyes were closed in a soft, sleeping, almost peaceful sort of way, and that relaxed Reid a bit. He was almost glad she was unconscious, because if she weren't, she would be in more pain than he dared see.

Reid brushed her mussed up hair from her face, and thought to himself, _"I'll never lose you again, Holly." _He knew it was foolish to be in love with someone you'd only known a few months, but Reid didn't care.

At that moment he lost a little of his sensible nature.

He loved her, and he wanted her to know it.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

**One. Last. Chapter. My babies. :(**


	14. So Close to a Brand New Day

After that, all night it was all paramedics, ambulances, and police. Garcia was phoned and let in on all the news. Lila was taken home, where she still slept peacefully. Wilkins was rushed to the hospital, losing blood quickly. Reid tagged along in the ambulance, and waited by himself in the lobby for three hours.

Afterwards he stayed in a still unconscious Holly's room for two nights, until Hotch finally dragged him out to get to his paperwork.

When Holly finally gained her consciousness and was let out of the hospital, Hotch gave her the week off, and her doctors instructed her to rest, and not leave home.

Lila's missed phone calls flooded Reid's cell phone. He'd answered once, telling her he was busy and he'd call back later, although he knew he never would.

Reid tried painfully hard to get away to see Holly, but each time he tried something came up. He considered calling her, but he'd promised himself to tell her how he felt the very next time he saw her, and he refused to let a phone call be the way it was done.

So, on Monday morning Reid waited, in the rain, in the parking lot of the BAU for Holly to arrive.

"'_Holly, when I first saw you I loved you,'_" Reid practiced silently. "_No. That's not it...'I know we haven't known each other very long, but I love you…' No, not right either. 'Holly, I've never, ever, ever, felt this way about anyone…'"_

"Arg!" moaned Reid, aloud, purposely banging his head against the wall. "Oww," he growled, holding his bruised, rain-wet head, and scorning at the wall.

Just then he heard Holly's motorcycle coming; a sound that sent his heart to his throat.

Holly pulled her motorcycle into a parking space, and put her helmet on one of the handlebars, letting her familiar chocolaty curls fall loosely onto her shoulders. She clumsily dismounted her cycle, nearly falling into a puddle, and causing Reid to chuckle.

Wilkins repositioned her messenger bag, pulled her raincoat closer over her favorite dress – the one she'd worn the day Reid met her – and tugged her left sock back up to her knee. Then she started towards the door. Noticing Reid, a warm, overly happy smile crossed her face.

"Reid!" she called, waving. "Garcia told me what you did; that you were the one that started after me."

Reid smiled and waved back, but just as he opened his mouth to brush off the compliment, he saw someone that caused his smile to drop.

"Spencer!" Lila gushed, jogging though the hard rain past Wilkins and towards him, as if in a hurry. "Why haven't you returned my calls?" she continued in a teasing tone.

Reid looked Wilkins' way. She'd stopped dead in her tracks, not seeming to mind if she stood in the rain, and her smile was long gone, as she suddenly found the wet pavement a very interesting thing to look at.

Reid looked sternly at Lila. He didn't want to be mean to her, but if he tried to be nice he'd stutter hopelessly and never get his point across.

"Lila," he said. "I haven't returned your calls because I just don't think we should be seeing each other anymore." Lila stared blankly, and she didn't reply. Wilkins had looked up at this turn of events. "You'll be leaving Virginia soon anyway, and I don't want to carry on a distant relationship."

"Spencer," began Lila, but Reid cut her off.

"It's as simple as this, Lila: I'm in love with somebody else," he glanced, embarrassed, towards Holly, "and what we had was never love anyway."

"Spencer," Lila tried again, more sternly this time. Reid stopped his train of reasoning. "I know." Lila said, smiling softly. "I knew the first night I saw you again."

Lila looked over her shoulder at Wilkins, who stood, soaked, staring at Reid, wondering if she was hearing right.

"And I'm alright with it," Lila continued, blinking suddenly as rain splashed into her eyes, "because, frankly, we _were_ just a pastime." Reid grew wide-eyed at that, taking it as an insult for a moment. "I've been calling to talk about that. I'm leaving Quantico today, and I wanted to tell you that you could stop pretending."

Reid nodded, not sure what to say.

"Now, I've got to go before I miss my plane. Tell everyone goodbye for me." Lila leaned in to kiss Reid goodbye, but caught herself, and settled for a hug instead. She turned to Holly, and smiled warmly.

"Too bad we didn't get to talk more than we did," she said, taking Wilkins' hand. "We would've been the _closest_ girlfriends!" Wilkins smiled, her hate for Lila, draining away completely. Well… _almost_ completely.

Lila jogged back to the taxi waiting for her, and waved goodbye one last time before riding out of both Reid's and Holly's lives.

Holly turned back to Reid, who crossed his arms nervously.

Both knew what they wanted to say, but neither could. Reid stepped slowly down the stairs towards Wilkins, brushing her rain soaked curls behind her ear.

Back inside the BAU, J.J. hunted down Reid and Wilkins. They had a new case, and the rest of the team was read for briefing.

"Morgan, have you seen Reid?" J.J. asked.

"Outside waiting for Wilkins," Morgan replied, heading to conference room.

J.J. stepped soundlessly outside into the pouring rain just as Wilkins let her soft lips touch Reid's, passionately.

J.J. smiled. She could brief them later.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"_Who could refrain that had a heart to love and in that heart courage to make love known?"_

**-William Shakespeare**

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o 

**The End! D: *cries mindlessly***

**I wanna thank all my sweet lil' followers for their loveliness! If it wasn't for you guys I'd have quit this story before I began it! :D So thanks!**

**Now, since each chapter has it's own theme song, I've put together this story soundtrack! So do some iTuning people, and listen to the songs before I send out my evil monkeys! :D**

"_**Adored**_**" Soundtrack**

**Title Theme Song: "**_**Adored**_**" by Miranda Cosgrove**

**Chapter 1. "**_**Shiftwork**_**" by Kenny Chesney**

**Chapter 2. "**_**Thinkin' About You**_**" Britney Spears **

**Chapter 3. "**_**Shakespeare**_**" by Miranda Cosgrove**

**Chapter 4. "**_**Round and Round**_**" by Selena Gomez**

**Chapter 5. "**_**Smile**_**" by Uncle Kracker**

**Chapter 6. "**_**It's My Life**_**" by No Doubt**

**Chapter 7. "**_**So Close**_**" by Jon McLaughlin**

**Chapter 8. "**_**Sally's Song**_**" by Amy Lee**

**Chapter 9. "**_**Rock God**_**" by Selena Gomez**

**Chapter 10. "**_**She Wolf**_**" by Shakira**

**Chapter 11. "**_**Undo It**_**" by Carrie Underwood**

**Chapter 12. "**_**Leave Out All the Rest**_**" by Linkin Park**

**Chapter 13. "**_**Breathe You In**_**" by Thousand Foot Crutch**

**Chapter 14. "**_**Everybody**_**" by Keith Urban **


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